Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza lost a contested decision to Yoel Romero in his most recent fight, taking him out of a top contender spot in the UFC’s middleweight division. The former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion is looking at one of two options for his next fight: former champ Chris Weidman, or a rematch with Romero.
It was reported on Wednesday’s UFC Tonight program on Fox Sports 1 that his manager has requested one of those two fights, and that they’re especially interested in a Romero rematch due to how that fight played out. With Romero holding the fence in the second, poking Souza in the eye in the third, and taking a decision that many felt should have gone the other way, Souza’s manager Gilberto Faria felt Romero “played dirty,” and they’d like a second crack at him.
The loss at UFC 194 snapped an eight fight winning streak for Souza, dating back to a loss to now-UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold in 2011.
Penick’s Analysis: The Weidman fight is more intriguing stylistically because it’s a matchup we could have been seeing for the title, but the Romero fight could be a possibility again if the UFC books Rockhold against Vitor Belfort next. Neither are going to be booked real soon, as the UFC’s going to have to make their decision on Rockhold’s next fight before the other dominoes can fall, but these are both options that could work well in the division.
[Photo (c) Jason Silva via USA Today Sports]
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